Method of atomic layer etching using functional group-containing fluorocarbon

ABSTRACT

A method of atomic layer etching (ALE) uses a cycle including: continuously providing a noble gas; providing a pulse of an etchant gas to the reaction space to chemisorb the etchant gas in an unexcited state in a self-limiting manner on a surface of a substrate in the reaction space; and providing a pulse of a reactive species of a noble gas in the reaction space to contact the etchant gas-chemisorbed surface of the substrate with the reactive species so that the layer on the substrate is etched. The etchant gas is a fluorocarbon gas containing a functional group with a polarity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a method of atomic layer etching (ALE), particularly to a method of ALE using a functional group-containing fluorocarbon etchant.

Description of the Related Art

Atomic layer etching (ALE) is cyclic, atomic layer-level etching using an etchant gas adsorbed on a target film and reacted with excited reaction species, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2013-235912 and No. 2014-522104. As compared with conventional etching technology, ALE can perform precise, atomic layer-level continuous etching on a sub-nanometer order to form fine, narrow convex-concave patterns and may be suitable for e.g., double-patterning processes. As an etchant gas, Cl₂, HCl, CHF₃, CH₂F₂, CH₃F, H₂, BCL₃, SiCl₄, Br₂, HBr, NF₃, CF₄, C₂F₆, C₄F₈, SF₆, O₂, SO₂, COS, etc. are known. However, it is revealed that in-plane uniformity of etching of a film on a substrate by ALE is not satisfactory when etching an oxide or nitride mineral film such as silicon oxide or nitride film.

Any discussion of problems and solutions in relation to the related art has been included in this disclosure solely for the purposes of providing a context for the present invention, and should not be taken as an admission that any or all of the discussion was known at the time the invention was made.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

When etching Si or GaAs by ALE using Cl₂ as an etchant gas, relatively good in-plane uniformity of etching can be obtained. However, when etching a silicon oxide or silicon nitride film by ALE using a fluorocarbon such as C₄F₈ as an etchant gas, good in-plane uniformity of etching is not obtained. This is because the etchant gas is adsorbed on a surface of a substrate through physical adsorption, not chemical adsorption, despite the fact that conventionally, the adsorption of an etchant gas is sometimes called “chemisorption.” That is, conventional ALE etches a metal or silicon oxide or nitride film by etchant gas physically adsorbed on its surface, wherein the adsorbed etchant gas reacts with excited species, and also by etchant gas which remains in the reaction space after being purged, causing gas-phase etching. As a result, in-plane uniformity of etching suffers. If an etchant gas is chemisorbed on a surface of a substrate, the adsorption is “chemisorption” which is chemical saturation adsorption which is a self-limiting adsorption reaction process, wherein the amount of deposited etchant gas molecules is determined by the number of reactive surface sites and is independent of the precursor exposure after saturation, and a supply of the etchant gas is such that the reactive surface sites are saturated thereby per cycle (i.e., the etchant gas adsorbed on a surface per cycle has a one-molecule thickness on principle). When chemisorption of an etchant gas on a substrate surface occurs, high in-plane uniformity of etching can be achieved. Conventional ALE, even though it calls adsorption “chemisorption,” in fact adsorbs an etchant gas on a substrate surface (e.g., SiO₂ and SiN) by physical adsorption. If adsorption of an etchant gas is chemisorption, in-plane uniformity of etching should logically be high and also the etch rate per cycle should not be affected by the flow rate of the etchant gas or the duration of a pulse of etchant gas flow after the surface is saturated by etchant gas molecules. However, none of conventional etchant gases satisfies the above.

In some embodiments, a fluorocarbon which contains a functional group with a polarity is used as an etchant gas. The functional group-containing fluorocarbon has a structure where a fluorocarbon constitutes a basic skeleton, and at least one reactive functional group is attached thereto as a terminal group. The functional group includes a hydroxyl group (—OH) and an amino group (—NH₂), for example, and the etchant gas is chemically adsorbed on a surface of a substrate based on the principle of substitution reaction or hydrogen bonding, etc. The adsorption of the etchant gas takes place by the terminal group on the substrate surface, and since the fluorocarbon basic skeleton itself is non-reactive to adsorption reaction, only one layer of the etchant gas molecules can be formed on the substrate surface. In this disclosure, chemical adsorption is referred to as chemisorption or self-limiting adsorption.

In some embodiments, by adsorbing an etchant gas on a surface of a metal or silicon oxide or nitride substrate (e.g., SiO₂ substrate) in a self-limiting manner, ALE cycles (e.g., plasma-enhanced ALE or PEALE, thermal ALE, radical ALE) are performed to etch the surface, thereby improving in-plane uniformity of etching. In some embodiments, such an etchant is typically liquid at room temperature, the etchant is introduced into a reaction chamber using a flow-path switching (FPS) method wherein a carrier gas can continuously flow into the reaction chamber and can carry etchant gas in pulses by switching a main line and a detour line provided with a reservoir storing a liquid etchant precursor.

Additionally, since the functional group-containing fluorocarbon can effectively be chemisorbed on a metal or silicon oxide or nitrate film, deposition of a film containing fluorocarbon can be conducted by ALD, in place of etching, by using a proper reactant gas such as hydrogen in an excited state (e.g., Ar/H₂ plasma).

For purposes of summarizing aspects of the invention and the advantages achieved over the related art, certain objects and advantages of the invention are described in this disclosure. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such objects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

Further aspects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of necessary fee.

These and other features of this invention will now be described with reference to the drawings of preferred embodiments which are intended to illustrate and not to limit the invention. The drawings are greatly simplified for illustrative purposes and are not necessarily to scale.

FIG. 1A is a schematic representation of a PEALD (plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition) apparatus for depositing a protective film usable in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B illustrates a schematic representation of a precursor supply system using a flow-pass switching (FPS) system usable in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic process sequence of PEALE in one cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein a step illustrated in a cell represents an ON state whereas no step illustrated in a cell represents an OFF state, and the width of each cell does not represent duration of each process.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic process sequence of PEALD in one cycle in combination with a schematic process sequence of PEALE in one cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein a cell in gray represents an ON state whereas a cell in white represents an OFF state, and the width of each column does not represent duration of each process.

FIG. 4A is a graph showing the relationship between etching rate per cycle (EPC) (nm/cycle) and etchant gas feed time per cycle (seconds) according to an embodiment of the present invention (“Ex. 1 (F=3)” and “Ex. 2 (F=6)”) and a comparative example (“Comp. Ex.”).

FIG. 4B is a graph showing the relationship between etching rate per cycle (EPC) (nm/cycle) and etchant gas feed time per cycle (seconds) when changing the flow rate of etchant gas (C₂F₆) according to comparative examples.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photographs of cross-sectional views of conformal silicon oxide films wherein FIG. 5A shows a silicon oxide film prior to PEALE cycles, FIG. 5B shows a silicon oxide film after the PEALE cycles using C2F6, and FIG. 5C shows a silicon oxide film after the PEALE cycles using 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A shows color images of thin-film etched thickness profile measurement by 2D color map analysis of a film according to a comparative example.

FIG. 6B shows color images of thin-film etched thickness profile measurement by 2D color map analysis of a film according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In this disclosure, “gas” may include vaporized solid and/or liquid and may be constituted by a single gas or a mixture of gases. In this disclosure, a process gas introduced to a reaction chamber through a showerhead may be comprised of, consist essentially of, or consist of an etchant gas and an additive gas. The additive gas typically includes a dilution gas for diluting the etchant gas and reacting with the etchant gas when in an excited state. The etchant gas can be introduced with a carrier gas such as a noble gas. Also, a gas other than the process gas, i.e., a gas introduced without passing through the showerhead, may be used for, e.g., sealing the reaction space, which includes a seal gas such as a noble gas. In some embodiments, the term “etchant gas” refers generally to at least one gaseous or vaporized compound that participates in etching reaction that etches a layer on a substrate, and particularly to at least one compound that chemisorbs onto the layer in a non-excited state and etches the layer when being activated, whereas the term “reactant gas” refers to at least one gaseous or vaporized compound that contributes to activation of the etchant gas or catalyzes an etching reaction by the etchant gas. The term “etchant gas” refers to an active gas without a carrier gas, or a mixture of an active gas and a carrier gas, depending on the context. The dilution gas and/or carrier gas can serve as “reactant gas”. The term “carrier gas” refers to an inert or inactive gas in a non-excited state which carries an etchant gas to the reaction space in a mixed state and enters the reaction space as a mixed gas including the etchant gas. The inert gas and the etchant gas can converge as a mixed gas anywhere upstream of the reaction space, e.g., (a) in an etchant gas line upstream of a mass flow controller provided in the etchant gas line, wherein the inert gas is provided as a carrier gas or purge gas flowing through the etchant gas line, (b) in an etchant gas line downstream of a mass flow controller provided in the etchant gas line but upstream of a gas manifold where all or main process gases converge, wherein the inert gas is provided as a part of the etchant gas (as a carrier gas or purge gas), and/or (c) in a gas manifold where all or main process gases converge, wherein the inert gas flows in a reactant gas line as a reactant gas or purge gas upstream of the gas manifold. In the above, typically, (a) is rare. Thus, the inert gas can serve as a carrier gas (as a part of etchant gas) and/or at least a part of a reactant gas, wherein the above gases can serve also as purge gases.

In some embodiments, “film” refers to a layer continuously extending in a direction perpendicular to a thickness direction substantially without pinholes to cover an entire target or concerned surface, or simply a layer covering a target or concerned surface. In some embodiments, “layer” refers to a structure having a certain thickness formed on a surface or a synonym of film or a non-film structure. A film or layer may be constituted by a discrete single film or layer having certain characteristics or multiple films or layers, and a boundary between adjacent films or layers may or may not be clear and may be established based on physical, chemical, and/or any other characteristics, formation processes or sequence, and/or functions or purposes of the adjacent films or layers.

Further, in this disclosure, any two numbers of a variable can constitute a workable range of the variable as the workable range can be determined based on routine work, and any ranges indicated may include or exclude the endpoints. Additionally, any values of variables indicated (regardless of whether they are indicated with “about” or not) may refer to precise values or approximate values and include equivalents, and may refer to average, median, representative, majority, etc. in some embodiments. Additionally, the terms “constituted by” and “having” refer independently to “typically or broadly comprising”, “comprising”, “consisting essentially of”, or “consisting of” in some embodiments. Further, an article “a” or “an” refers to a species or a genus including multiple species. In this disclosure, any defined meanings do not necessarily exclude ordinary and customary meanings in some embodiments.

In the present disclosure where conditions and/or structures are not specified, the skilled artisan in the art can readily provide such conditions and/or structures, in view of the present disclosure, as a matter of routine experimentation. In all of the disclosed embodiments, any element used in an embodiment can be replaced with any elements equivalent thereto, including those explicitly, necessarily, or inherently disclosed herein, for the intended purposes. Further, the present invention can equally be applied to apparatuses and methods.

The embodiments will be explained with respect to preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments.

Some embodiments provide a method for etching a layer on a substrate placed in a reaction space by an atomic layer etching (ALE) process which comprises at least one etching cycle, wherein an etching cycle comprises: (i) continuously providing a noble gas (e.g., flowing at least as a carrier gas for an etchant gas) into the reaction space; (ii) providing a pulse of an etchant gas (e.g., into the continuous noble gas flow upstream of the reaction space) to chemisorb the etchant gas in an unexcited state in a self-limiting manner on a surface of the substrate in the reaction space, said etchant gas being a fluorocarbon gas containing a functional group with a polarity, said surface of the substrate being constituted by an oxide or nitride mineral (referred to also as “an oxide or nitride ceramic”); and (iii) providing a pulse of a reactive species of a noble gas in the reaction space to contact the etchant gas-chemisorbed surface of the substrate with the reactive species so that the surface of the layer on the substrate is etched. In the above, the term “continuously” refers to without interruption in space (e.g., uninterrupted supply over the substrate), without interruption in flow (e.g., uninterrupted inflow), and/or at a constant rate (the term need not satisfy all of the foregoing simultaneously), depending on the embodiment. In some embodiments, “continuous” flow has a constant flow rate (alternatively, even though the flow is “continuous”, its flow rate may be changed with time). The term “chemisorption” refers to adsorption of gas molecules chemically on a surface of a film by force stronger than Van der Waals force, i.e., physical adsorption. In some embodiments, chemisorption includes not only adsorption as a result of chemical reaction between terminal groups of gas molecules and the film surface, but also adsorption via hydrogen bonding or bonding equivalent thereto including electrostatic adsorption using the polarity of the terminal groups of the gas molecules. In some embodiments, chemisorption means adsorption which is stronger than physical adsorption. The term “self-limiting manner” refers to a manner wherein the amount of deposited gas molecules is determined by the number of reactive surface sites and is independent of the gas exposure after saturation, and a supply of the gas is such that the reactive surface sites are saturated thereby per cycle (i.e., the gas adsorbed on a surface per cycle has a one-molecule thickness on principle).

In some embodiments, the functional group contained in the etchant gas is selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl group, amino group, ether group, ketone group, and carboxyl group. For example, when the etchant gas is CF₃CH₂OH and the substrate surface is constituted by silicon oxide, chemisorption of the etchant gas on a substrate surface may take place through the following chemical reaction:

CF₃CH₂—OH+Si—OH→CF₃CH₂—O—Si+H₂O

Since the functional group has a polarity, it can be adsorbed on a substrate surface using the polarity. Preferably, the functional group contains oxygen or nitrogen. In some embodiments, the etchant gas is a perfluorocarbon gas. In some embodiments, the etchant gas is CF₃ROH, C₃F₇ROH, C₃F₇RNH₂, and/or (CF₃R)₂O wherein R represents an alkylene group having 1, 2, 3, or 4 carbon atoms. For example, the etchant gas is selected from the group consisting of CF₃CH₂OH, C₃F₇CH₂OH, C₃F₇CH₂NH₂, and/or (CF₃CH₂)₂O. Preferably, the etchant gas contains more than three fluorine atoms in its molecule. In some embodiments, no gas other than the etchant gas flows as an etchant gas throughout the ALE process. Alternatively, in some embodiments, any of known etchant gases such as Cl₂, HCl, CHF₃, CH₂F₂, CH₃F, H₂, BCL₃, SiCl₄, Br₂, HBr, NF₃, CF₄, C₂F₆, C₄F₈, SF₆, O₂, SO₂, and COS can be used as a secondary etchant gas in combination with the functional group-containing fluorocarbon.

In some embodiments, while providing the reactive species of the noble gas, no reactive species of O₂, H₂, or N₂ are present in the reaction space. When the adsorbed etchant gas reacts with excited species of the noble gas, fluorine radicals (F*) are generated, which are the main etching component. However, when reactive species of O₂, H₂, or N₂ are present in the reaction space, the reactive species react with fluorine radicals, interfering with or inhibiting the etching reaction. For example, an Ar/O₂ plasma or Ar/H₂ plasma does not cause etching reaction, and a N₂ plasma can cause etching reaction but only at an extremely low etching rate. In some embodiments, the above reactive species may be added to the reaction space when the etchant gas contains more fluorine atoms, or after the cycle of providing the reactive species of the noble gas.

In some embodiments, the pulse of the reactive species of the noble gas is provided by applying a pulse of RF power discharge between electrodes disposed in the reaction space, between which the substrate is placed. The noble gas can be excited by applying a pulse of RF power in-situ or can be provided to the reaction space as noble gas radicals by a remote plasma unit. Alternatively, the noble gas can be excited thermally in the reaction space. In some embodiments, the noble gas is He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and/or Xe, preferably Ar and/or He.

In some embodiments, the oxide or nitride mineral constituting the surface of the substrate is a metal or silicon oxide or nitride, typically those selected from the group consisting of SiO₂, SiON, SiN, TiO, TiON, TiN, Al₂O₃, and AlN. Any suitable substrate which can be etched by radical fluorine (such as those containing —OH groups on its surface) can be a target. In some embodiments, SiC may be a target.

In some embodiments, prior to the ALE process, a film is deposited on a substrate in the reaction space by atomic layer deposition (ALD), wherein the film on the substrate constitutes the surface of the substrate subjected to the ALE process, wherein the ALD process and the ALE process are conducted continuously in the reaction space. In some embodiments, the reaction space is controlled at a constant pressure throughout the ALD process and the ALE process.

In some embodiments, a purging period is taken between the pulse of the etchant gas and the pulse of the reactive species of the noble gas to remove excess etchant gas from the reaction space, and a purging period is taken after the pulse of the reactive species of the noble gas to remove by-products from the reaction space.

In some embodiments, the layer of the substrate has a recess pattern. In some embodiments, the surface of the substrate is etched isotropically. The etching is “isotropic” when conformality of etched surfaces, which is a percentage calculated by dividing the etched thickness at a sidewall by the etched thickness at a top surface, is 100%±10%.

Additionally, since the functional group-containing fluorocarbon can effectively be chemisorbed on a metal/silicon oxide or nitrate film, deposition of a film containing fluorocarbon (e.g., CxFy film) can be conducted by ALD, in place of etching, by using a proper reactant gas such as hydrogen in an excited state (e.g., Ar/H₂ plasma).

Some embodiments will be explained with respect to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

In some embodiments, the process sequence may be set as illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows a schematic process sequence of PEALE in one cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein a step illustrated in a cell represents an ON state whereas no step illustrated in a cell represents an OFF state, and the width of each cell does not represent duration of each process. In this embodiment, one cycle of PEALE comprises “Feed” where an etchant gas is fed to a reaction space via a carrier gas which carries the etchant gas without applying RF power to the reaction space, and also, a dilution gas is fed to the reaction space, thereby chemisorbing the etchant gas onto a surface of a substrate via self-limiting adsorption; “Purge 1” where no etchant gas is fed to the reaction space, while the carrier gas and dilution gas are continuously fed to the reaction space, without applying RF power, thereby removing non-chemisorbed etchant gas and excess gas from the surface of the substrate; “RF” where RF power is applied to the reaction space while the carrier gas and dilution gas are continuously fed to the reaction space, without feeding the etchant gas, thereby etching a layer on which the etchant gas is chemisorbed through plasma reaction with the reactant gas; and “Purge 2” where the carrier gas and dilution gas are continuously fed to the reaction space, without feeding the etchant gas and without applying RF power to the reaction space, thereby removing by-products and excess gas from the surface of the substrate. Due to the continuous flow of the dilution gas and the continuous flow of the carrier gas entering into the reaction space as a constant stream into which the etchant gas is injected intermittently or in pulses, purging can be conducted efficiently to remove excess gas and by-products quickly from the surface of the layer, thereby efficiently continuing multiple ALE cycles. In some embodiments, the ALE cycles may be conducted under the conditions shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 (the numbers are approximate) Conditions for PEALE Substrate temperature 0 to 400° C. (preferably 20 to 200° C.) Pressure 1 to 1000 Pa (preferably 1 to 500 Pa) Noble gas (as a carrier gas Ar and/or dilution gas) Flow rate of carrier gas 100 to 2000 sccm (preferably 1000 to (continuous) 2000 sccm) Flow rate of dilution gas 100 to 5000 sccm (preferably 500 to (continuous) 2000 sccm) Etchant gas CF₃CH₂OH, C₃F₇CH₂OH, C₃F₇CH₂NH₂, and/or (CF₃CH₂)₂O Flow rate of etchant gas Corresponding to the flow rate of carrier gas RF power (13.56 MHz) for a 50 to 1000 W (preferably 100 to 400 W) 300-mm wafer Duration of “Feed” 0.1 to 5 sec. (preferably 0.1 to 0.5 sec.) Duration of “Purge 1” 0.2 to 60 sec. (preferably 0.2 to 10 sec.) Duration of “RF” 0.5 to 10 sec. (preferably 1 to 5 sec.) Duration of “Purge 2” 0.05 to 1 sec. (preferably 0.05 to 0.1 sec.) Duration of one cycle 0.85 to 76 sec. (preferably 1.35 to 16.6 sec.) Etching rate per cycle 0.03 to 0.15 (preferably 0.05 to 0.10) on (nm/min) top surface

In some embodiments, the process sequence may be set as illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a schematic process sequence of PEALD in one cycle in combination with a schematic process sequence of PEALE in one cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein a cell in gray represents an ON state whereas a cell in white represents an OFF state, and the width of each column does not represent duration of each process. In this embodiment, one cycle of PEALD comprises “Si-Feed” where a Si-containing precursor gas (Si-precursor) is fed to a reaction space via a carrier gas which carries the Si-precursor without applying RF power to the reaction space, and also, a dilution gas and a reactant gas are fed to the reaction space, thereby chemisorbing the etchant gas onto a surface of a substrate via self-limiting adsorption; “Purge” where no Si-precursor is fed to the reaction space, while the carrier gas, the dilution gas, and reactant gas are continuously fed to the reaction space, without applying RF power, thereby removing non-chemisorbed etchant gas and excess gas from the surface of the substrate; “RF” where RF power is applied to the reaction space while the carrier gas, the dilution gas, and reactant gas are continuously fed to the reaction space, without feeding the Si-precursor, thereby depositing a dielectric layer through plasma surface reaction with the reactant gas in an excited state; and “Purge” where the carrier gas, the dilution gas, and reactant gas are continuously fed to the reaction space, without feeding the Si-precursor and without applying RF power to the reaction space, thereby removing by-products and excess gas from the surface of the substrate. The carrier gas can be constituted by the reactant gas. Due to the continuous flow of the carrier gas entering into the reaction space as a constant stream into which the Si-precursor is injected intermittently or in pulses, purging can be conducted efficiently to remove excess gas and by-products quickly from the surface of the layer, thereby efficiently continuing multiple ALD cycles.

When the reactive species of noble gas are produced using a remote plasma unit, “RF” in the sequence illustrated in FIG. 2 is replaced by introduction of noble gas radicals from a remote plasma unit.

In the sequence illustrated in FIG. 3, after the PEALD cycles, the PEALE cycle starts in the same reaction chamber. In this sequence, one cycle of PEALE comprises: “Etchant-Feed” where an etchant precursor is fed to the reaction space without applying RF power to the reaction space, and also, the carrier gas and the dilution gas used in the PEALD cycle are continuously fed to the reaction space at the constant flow rates whereas no reactant gas used in the PEALD cycle is fed to the reaction space, thereby chemisorbing the etchant precursor onto the surface of the substrate via self-limiting adsorption; “Purge” where no etchant precursor is fed to the reaction space, while the carrier gas and the dilution gas are continuously fed to the reaction space, without applying RF power, thereby removing non-chemisorbed etchant precursor and excess gas from the surface of the substrate; “RF” where RF power is applied to the reaction space while the carrier gas and the dilution gas are continuously fed to the reaction space, without feeding the etchant precursor, thereby etching a layer on which the etchant precursor is chemisorbed through plasma reaction; and “Purge” where the carrier gas and the dilution gas are continuously fed to the reaction space, without feeding the etchant precursor and without applying RF power to the reaction space, thereby removing by-products and excess gas from the surface of the substrate. The carrier gas and/or the dilution gas are used as a reactant gas for PEALE. Due to the continuous flow of the carrier gas and the dilution gas entering into the reaction space as a constant stream into which the etchant precursor is injected intermittently or in pulses, purging can be conducted efficiently to remove excess gas and by-products quickly from the surface of the layer, thereby efficiently continuing multiple ALE cycles.

In some embodiments, the carrier gas for the Si-precursor is fed to the reaction chamber through the same gas inlet port, wherein the carrier gas, which flows from a gas source through a line fluidically connected to a reservoir of the Si-precursor in the PEALD cycle, bypasses the reservoir and enters into the reaction chamber through the gas inlet port in the PEALE cycle at a constant flow rate. The dilution gas can also be fed at a constant flow rate throughout the continuous fabrication process constituted by the PEALD cycles and the PEALE cycles. Accordingly, the fluctuation of pressure in the reaction chamber can effectively be avoided when changing the PEALD cycle to the PEALE cycle in the reaction chamber.

In some embodiments, PEALD may be conducted under conditions shown in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 (the numbers are approximate) Conditions for PEALD Substrate temperature Same as in PEALE Pressure Same as in PEALE (typically 400 Pa) Noble gas (as a carrier gas Same as in PEALE and/or dilution gas) Flow rate of carrier gas Same as in PEALE (continuous) Flow rate of dilution gas Same as in PEALE (continuous) Reactant gas O₂, CO₂, N₂O Flow rate of reactant gas 50 to 3000 sccm (preferably 100 to (continuous) 1000 sccm) Precursor gas Bis-Diethyl-Amino-Silane, Tris-Diethyl-Amino-Silane RF power (13.56 MHz) for a 25 to 2000 W (preferably 100 to 500 W) 300-mm wafer Duration of “Si-Feed” 0.1 to 5 sec. (preferably 0.1 to 1 sec.) Duration of “Purge” 0.2. to 10 sec. (preferably 0.2. to after “Feed” 1 sec.) Duration of “RF” 0.1 to 10 sec. (preferably 0.5 to 5 sec.) Duration of “Purge” 0.1 to 10 sec. (preferably 0.2 to 1. after “RF” sec.) GPC (nm/cycle) 0.03 to 0.2 (preferably 0.08 to 0.2) on top surface

Typically, the thickness of the dielectric film to be etched is in a range of about 50 nm to about 500 nm (a desired film thickness can be selected as deemed appropriate according to the application and purpose of film, etc.). The dielectric film may be used for double-patterning.

In the sequence illustrated in FIG. 2, the precursor is supplied in a pulse using a carrier gas which is continuously supplied. This can be accomplished using a flow-pass switching (FPS) system wherein a carrier gas line is provided with a detour line having a precursor reservoir (bottle), and the main line and the detour line are switched, wherein when only a carrier gas is intended to be fed to a reaction chamber, the detour line is closed, whereas when both the carrier gas and a precursor gas are intended to be fed to the reaction chamber, the main line is closed and the carrier gas flows through the detour line and flows out from the bottle together with the precursor gas. In this way, the carrier gas can continuously flow into the reaction chamber, and can carry the precursor gas in pulses by switching the main line and the detour line. FIG. 1B illustrates a precursor supply system using a flow-pass switching (FPS) system according to an embodiment of the present invention (black valves indicate that the valves are closed). As shown in (a) in FIG. 1B, when feeding a precursor to a reaction chamber (not shown), first, a carrier gas such as Ar (or He) flows through a gas line with valves b and c, and then enters a bottle (reservoir) 30. The carrier gas flows out from the bottle 30 while carrying a precursor gas in an amount corresponding to a vapor pressure inside the bottle 30, and flows through a gas line with valves f and e, and is then fed to the reaction chamber together with the precursor. In the above, valves a and d are closed. When feeding only the carrier gas (noble gas) to the reaction chamber, as shown in (b) in FIG. 1B, the carrier gas flows through the gas line with the valve a while bypassing the bottle 30. In the above, valves b, c, d, e, and f are closed.

The precursor may be provided with the aid of a carrier gas. Since ALD is a self-limiting adsorption reaction process, the number of deposited precursor molecules is determined by the number of reactive surface sites and is independent of the precursor exposure after saturation, and a supply of the precursor is such that the reactive surface sites are saturated thereby per cycle. A plasma for deposition may be generated in situ, for example, in an ammonia gas that flows continuously throughout the deposition cycle. In other embodiments the plasma may be generated remotely and provided to the reaction chamber.

As mentioned above, each pulse or phase of each deposition cycle is preferably self-limiting. An excess of reactants is supplied in each phase to saturate the susceptible structure surfaces. Surface saturation ensures reactant occupation of all available reactive sites (subject, for example, to physical size or “steric hindrance” restraints) and thus ensures excellent step coverage. In some embodiments the pulse time of one or more of the reactants can be reduced such that complete saturation is not achieved and less than a monolayer is adsorbed on the substrate surface.

The process cycle can be performed using any suitable apparatus including an apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1A, for example. FIG. 1A is a schematic view of a PEALD apparatus, desirably in conjunction with controls programmed to conduct the sequences described below, usable in some embodiments of the present invention. In this figure, by providing a pair of electrically conductive flat-plate electrodes 4, 2 in parallel and facing each other in the interior 11 (reaction zone) of a reaction chamber 3, applying HRF power (13.56 MHz or 27 MHz) 20 to one side, and electrically grounding the other side 12, a plasma is excited between the electrodes. A temperature regulator is provided in a lower stage 2 (the lower electrode), and a temperature of a substrate 1 placed thereon is kept constant at a given temperature. The upper electrode 4 serves as a shower plate as well, and reactant gas (and noble gas) and precursor gas are introduced into the reaction chamber 3 through a gas line 21 and a gas line 22, respectively, and through the shower plate 4. Additionally, in the reaction chamber 3, a circular duct 13 with an exhaust line 7 is provided, through which gas in the interior 11 of the reaction chamber 3 is exhausted. Additionally, a dilution gas is introduced into the reaction chamber 3 through a gas line 23. Further, a transfer chamber 5 disposed below the reaction chamber 3 is provided with a seal gas line 24 to introduce seal gas into the interior 11 of the reaction chamber 3 via the interior 16 (transfer zone) of the transfer chamber 5 wherein a separation plate 14 for separating the reaction zone and the transfer zone is provided (a gate valve through which a wafer is transferred into or from the transfer chamber 5 is omitted from this figure). The transfer chamber is also provided with an exhaust line 6. In some embodiments, the deposition of multi-element film and surface treatment are performed in the same reaction space, so that all the steps can continuously be conducted without exposing the substrate to air or other oxygen-containing atmosphere. In some embodiments, a remote plasma unit can be used for exciting a gas.

In some embodiments, in the apparatus depicted in FIG. 1A, the system of switching flow of an inactive gas and flow of a precursor gas illustrated in FIG. 1B (described earlier) can be used to introduce the precursor gas in pulses without substantially fluctuating pressure of the reaction chamber.

In some embodiments, a dual chamber reactor (two sections or compartments for processing wafers disposed closely to each other) can be used, wherein a reactant gas and a noble gas can be supplied through a shared line whereas a precursor gas is supplied through unshared lines.

In some embodiments, the PEALE cycle can be performed using the same apparatus as for the PEALD cycle, which is illustrated in FIG. 1A, wherein an etchant precursor is introduced into the reaction chamber 3 through a gas line 31 (also using the system illustrated in FIG. 1B). Additionally, an ashing cycle can also be performed using the same apparatus as for the PEALD cycle, which is illustrated in FIG. 1A, wherein an oxidizing gas is introduced into the reaction chamber 3 through a gas line 32.

A skilled artisan will appreciate that the apparatus includes one or more controller(s) (not shown) programmed or otherwise configured to cause the deposition and reactor cleaning processes described elsewhere herein to be conducted. The controller(s) are communicated with the various power sources, heating systems, pumps, robotics, and gas flow controllers or valves of the reactor, as will be appreciated by the skilled artisan.

The present invention is further explained with reference to working examples below. However, the examples are not intended to limit the present invention. In the examples where conditions and/or structures are not specified, the skilled artisan in the art can readily provide such conditions and/or structures, in view of the present disclosure, as a matter of routine experimentation. Also, the numbers applied in the specific examples can be modified by a range of at least ±50% in some embodiments, and the numbers are approximate.

EXAMPLES Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 1

A silicon oxide film was formed by PEALD on a 300-mm substrate. In Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 1, PEALE was conducted on the silicon oxide film under the conditions shown in Table 3 below using the PEALE apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The sequence used in each cycle of PEALE is shown in FIG. 2.

TABLE 3 (the numbers are approximate) Comparative Example 1 Example 1 Example 2 Film to be etched (300-mm PEALD SiO₂ wafer) RF power (W) 100 RF frequency (MHz) 13.56 Etchant C₂F₆ CF₃CH₂OH (CF₃CH₂)₂O (F = 3) (F = 6) Bottle temperature (° C.) R.T. Carrier gas Ar Carrier gas flow (slm) 2.0 Dilution gas Ar Dilution gas flow (slm) 0.5 Pressure (Pa) 400 Temperature (° C.) 100 Etchant pulse (sec): Supply 0.2, 1.0 0.1, 0.3 0.1, 0.3 time (FIG. 4A) (FIG. 4A) (FIG. 4A) Purge upon the etchant pulse 10 (sec) RF power pulse (sec) 5 Purge upon the RF power 0.1 pulse (sec) Etching rate per cycle (nm/ See FIG. 4A See FIG. 4A See FIG. 4A cycle) Number of cycles 200

In Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example 1, the etching rate per cycle (EPC) was determined when the feed time (supply time) of etchant gas was changed. The results are shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4A is a graph showing the relationship between etching rate per cycle (EPC) (nm/cycle) and etchant gas feed time per cycle (seconds) according to Example 1 (“Ex. 1 (F=3)”), Example 2 (“Ex. 2 (F=6)”), and Comparative Example 1 (“Comp. Ex.”).

FIG. 4A indicates that each of CF₃CH₂OH (Example 1) and (CF₃CH₂)₂O (Example 2) was chemisorbed on the surface of the substrate since the adsorption was quickly accomplished and reached a plateau thereafter (reaching a saturation point, i.e., self-limiting adsorption). Also, use of (CF₃CH₂)₂O (F=6) in Example 2 significantly increased the EPC, as compared with CF₃CH₂OH (F=3) in Example 1 and C₂F₆ in Comparative Example 1. FIG. 4A also indicates that C₂F₆ was not chemisorbed on the surface of the substrate since the adsorption process was extremely slow. In FIG. 4A, the adsorption of C₂F₆ appeared to reach a plateau. However, because the EPC was very low even at the plateau, the surface was unlikely to have been saturated with C₂F₆ molecules. Also, as shown in FIG. 4B (FIG. 4B is a reference graph showing the relationship between etching rate per cycle (EPC) (nm/cycle) and etchant gas feed time per cycle (seconds) when changing the flow rate of etchant gas (C₂F₆) according to a different set of comparative examples), when C₂F₆ was used as an etchant gas, the EPC even at the plateau varied depending on the flow rate of C₂F₆, indicating that etching was not performed by adsorbed C₂F₆ molecules, but by residual C₂F₆ molecules remaining in the gas phase of the reaction chamber.

As discussed above, when the feed time of the etchant gas was 0.1 second for Examples 1 (F=3) and 2 (F=6), the EPCs were approximately 0.04 nm/cycle and approximately 0.09 nm/cycle, respectively, i.e., the EPC increased when the number of fluorine atoms (F) in gas molecules were increased. By using an etchant gas having a higher number of fluorine atoms in its molecules, EPC can be increased.

Example 3 and Comparative Example 2

The ALE process was performed in Example 3 and Comparative Example 2 according to Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 above, respectively, except that the 300-mm substrate had a patterned surface having an aspect ratio of about 2 and an opening width of about 30 nm, and the feed time of the etchant gas was 0.1 second for Example 3 and 0.2. seconds for Comparative Example 2. The results are shown in Table 4 below and FIGS. 5A to 5C. The EPC was approximately 0.04 nm/cycle in Example 3, and that was approximately 0.04 nm/cycle in Comparative Example 2.

TABLE 4 (the numbers are approximate) PEALE PEALE Initial (Com. Ex. 2) (Ex. 3) Top [nm] 21.5 10.7 (−10.8) 15.4 (−6.1) Side [nm] 21.0 17.5 (−3.5)  18.6 (−2.4) Bottom [nm] 22.0 11.4 (−10.6) 19.0 (−3.0) Conformality % [S/T] 98% 164% 120%  Conformality % [S/B] 95% 154% 94%

In Table 4, the numbers in the parentheses indicate reductions in thickness as compared with the initial thicknesses. FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photographs of cross-sectional views of the silicon oxide films wherein FIG. 5A shows the silicon oxide film prior to the PEALE cycles, FIG. 5B shows the silicon oxide film after the PEALE cycles using C₂F₆ (Comparative Example 2), and FIG. 5C shows the silicon oxide film after the PEALE cycles using 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol (CF₃CH₂OH) (Example 3). As shown in Table 4 and FIG. 5A, prior to the PEALE cycles, a SiO film 52 a having a thickness of about 22 nm was deposited on a Si substrate 51, wherein the conformality (a ratio of thickness at a sidewall to thickness on a flat surface) of the initial film was about 98% relative to the top film thickness and about 95% relative to the bottom film thickness. In Comparative Example 2, as shown in Table 4 and FIG. 5B, in the film 52 b after the PEALE cycles, a film portion deposited on the top surface (blanket surface) and a film portion deposited on the bottom surface were more etched than a film portion deposited on the sidewalls, wherein the conformality of the etched film was about 164% relative to the top film thickness and about 154% relative to the bottom film thickness. The PEALE cycles were highly directional and performed anisotropic etching. In Example 3, as shown in Table 4 and FIG. 5C, in the film 52 c after the PEALE cycles, a film portion deposited on the top surface (blanket surface), a film portion deposited on the bottom surface, and a film portion deposited on the sidewalls were substantially equally etched, wherein the conformality of the etched film was about 120% relative to the top film thickness and about 94% relative to the bottom film thickness. The PEALE cycles using 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol were not directional and performed rather isotropic etching, since 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol could be absorbed uniformly on the surface through chemisorption. In general, PEALE cycles using a functional group-containing etchant gas can perform isotropic etching at a conformality of about 80% to about 120%, which is substantially equal to that achieved by PEALD cycles.

Example 4 and Comparative Example 3

The ALE process was performed in Example 4 and Comparative Example 4 according to Example 1 (CF₃CH₂OH) and Comparative Example 1 (C₂F₆) above, respectively, except that the feed time of the etchant gas was 0.1 second for Example 4 and 0.2 seconds for Comparative Example 3. The results are shown in Table 5 below and FIGS. 6A and 6B. FIG. 6A shows color images of thin-film etched thickness profile measurement by 2D color map analysis of a film according to Comparative Example 3. FIG. 6B shows color images of thin-film etched thickness profile measurement by 2D color map analysis of a film according to Example 3. In the drawings, the scale bar in color from zero (blue) to one (red) indicates relative thickness of a film.

TABLE 5 (the numbers are approximate) PEALE PEALE (Com. Ex. 3) (Ex. 4) In-plane non-uniformity 18% <10% 1σ%

As shown in Table 5 and FIGS. 6A and 6B, when 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol was used as an etchant gas in Example 4, etching was performed uniformly, and in-plane uniformity of etching was very high, as compared with C₂F₆ in Comparative Example 3. In FIG. 6B, a center portion and a portion near the bottom in the drawing show singularity. This is due to an uneven plasma distribution inside the reaction chamber, but not due to the use of 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol.

It will be understood by those of skill in the art that numerous and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, it should be clearly understood that the forms of the present invention are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 

1. A method for etching a layer on a substrate placed in a reaction space by an atomic layer etching (ALE) process which comprises at least one etching cycle, wherein an etching cycle comprises: continuously providing a noble gas in the reaction space; providing a pulse of an etchant gas in the reaction space to chemisorb the etchant gas in an unexcited state on a surface of the substrate in a self-limiting manner, said etchant gas being a fluorocarbon gas containing a functional group with a polarity, said surface of the substrate being constituted by an oxide mineral or nitride mineral; and providing a pulse of a reactive species of a noble gas in the reaction space to contact the etchant gas-chemisorbed surface of the substrate with the reactive species so that the surface of the layer on the substrate is etched.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the functional group contained in the etchant gas is selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl group, amino group, ether group, ketone group, and carboxyl group.
 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the etchant gas is a perfluorocarbon-derivative gas.
 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the etchant gas is CF₃ROH, C₃F₇ROH, C₃F₇RNH₂, and/or (CF₃R)₂O wherein R represents an alkylene group having one to four carbon atoms.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein while providing the reactive species of the noble gas, no reactive species of O₂, H₂, or N₂ are present in the reaction space.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pulse of the reactive species of the noble gas is provided by applying a pulse of RF power discharge between electrodes disposed in the reaction space, between which the substrate is placed.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the oxide or nitride mineral constituting the surface of the substrate is selected from the group consisting of SiO₂, SiON, SiN, TiO, TiON, and TiN.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the noble gas continuously provided in the reaction space is provided as a carrier gas for the etchant gas.
 9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, prior to the ALE process, depositing a film on a substrate in the reaction space by atomic layer deposition (ALD), said film on the substrate constituting the surface of the substrate subjected to the ALE process, wherein the ALD process and the ALE process are conducted continuously in the reaction space.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the reaction space is controlled at a constant pressure throughout the ALD process and the ALE process.
 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein a purging period is taken between the pulse of the etchant gas and the pulse of the reactive species of the noble gas to remove excess etchant gas from the reaction space, and a purging period is taken after the pulse of the reactive species of the noble gas to remove by-products from the reaction space.
 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein no gas other than the etchant gas flows as an etchant gas throughout the ALE process.
 13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the layer of the substrate has a recess pattern.
 14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the etched layer of the substrate has a conformality of 80% to 120% when the ALE process is complete. 